The Walker Home

First Snow!

2012-01-17T13:23:00.000-06:00

The kids have been begging for the snow to arrive

me, not so much-

I liked the balmy Chicago winter this year!

But all good things come to an end

and last week we had our first snowstorm of the season.

The kids couldn't wait to get out and play...

They even talked their dad into playing outside on Saturday.

I loved the view from my bedroom window...

And even Uncle Troy got roped into the fun when he came up to visit.

He and the girls built a snow "Troy" complete with biceps and six-pack...

I'm thinking now that everyone has had their fun, we can just go back to the warmer weather!

Christmas Wrap-Up

2011-12-31T16:34:00.000-06:00

Because December turned out to be very busy,

I didn't end up posting for each of our fun activities.

So, before January comes tonight, I figured I would share a few fun pictures from our Christmas fun...

Uncle Troy brought some fun gingerbread houses that were pre-baked with icing and candies.

It was perfect for the kids, and for mom!

The darling girls in their Christmas dresses and handsome Matthew in his new suit!

We decorated gingerbread houses again with our friends.

I found an awesome pattern that makes four small houses with one batch.

They are the perfect size for kids (and the moms) to decorate!

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with friends.

We enjoyed dinner and a brief Christmasprogram together.

(with 20 kids--most under 5--it is best to keep things brief!)

Afton conducted the program...

Paul told a story about a camel who learns about Christmas from the Christ Child.

(I love all the little girls piled around him!)

The picture of everyone's shoes stacked up by the door makes me smile!

And finally, Christmas morning was here...

the Lego-mania continues

Nora has her hands full with her new "Bitty-Twins"

Afton loved the clothes and books Santa brought for her

Halle was excited about everything, but especially her new Barbie camper!

opening stockings before we started presents

And the cherry on top?

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit the day after Christmas!

We went to movies, played games, had Grandma sew up a few things, and watched bowl games.

Nora was a little upset that they didn't take her home with them today.

We had a wonderful Christmas season, filled with friends and family.

What more could we ask for?

We wish all of you a very happy 2012!

Lucky 13!

2011-12-28T07:35:00.000-06:00

Today we're celebrating our 13th anniversary

We've done a lot together in our married life. We are coming up on 10 years here in Chicago. We've earned degrees, enjoyed promotions, served in church callings, and grown in many ways.

The best thing we've done together, though, is these four...

It's certainly been a lucky 13 years!

Happy Birthday Jeffrey!

2011-12-22T15:16:00.000-06:00

Cousin Jeff is 4 today!

We hope your day is full of fun!

Happy Birthday Grace!

2011-12-18T05:06:00.000-06:00

Grace celebrated her 6th birthday yesterday

We had a crazy couple of days and didn't get to post in time for the big day,

but we hope it was fantastic!

Happy Birthday Nana!

2011-12-08T13:48:00.000-06:00

the girls love to play with Nana!

We are so excited to see her in a few weeks

when she comes out to help with the kids.

That is true love--coming to Chicago in January to play with your grandkids!

We love you and hope your day is wonderful!

One Holiday Party down...

2011-12-03T09:20:00.000-06:00

Last night we hosted Paul's office holiday party.

It is always fun, because we really enjoy being with our work friends.

(I call them "our" work friends, even though I don't work with them!)

This is our third year hosting and each year I learn how to make the next year a little better, a little easier, and a little more fun!

You have to forgive the photography. I'm hoping to take a class to figure my camera out and actually take a good picture!

Paul's task for Christmas decorating is the outside.

Doesn't it look nice!

...and welcoming, right?!

The dining room.

I have had that burlap runner on my table since before Thanksgiving when I hosted a shower. I then used it for Thanksgiving dinner and now for Christmas. Who knew it would be so versatile?!

(I think I may even use it when I help with the Cub Scout dinner in February)

The appetizer spread

We went for Mexican this year, and it was delicious!

I had Cafe Rio pork, beef, and chicken in crockpots

and my stroke of genius was to have Qdoba provide the

rice, beans, tortillas, salsa, chips, guacamole and queso.

So all I had to do was chop lettuce, tomato, cilantro, lime, and grate some cheese!

And here is my piece de resistance:

the dessert buffet

I made peppermint whoopee pies

chocolate peanut butter cup trifle

cheesecake parfaits

hazelnut chocolate mousse

and triple berry trifle.

It took a lot of planning, but it was also a lot of fun to do

But seriously, how did anyone plan parties before Pinterest?!

Happy Birthday Troy!

2011-11-27T11:15:00.000-06:00

Hooray--Uncle Troy lives with us right now,

so we get to help celebrate this year!

The kids picked out a very special card for him and we're all looking forward to some delicious cake and ice cream tonight!

Thanks for being a fun brother and uncle!

Happy Birthday!

November Races

2011-11-22T10:05:00.000-06:00

My racing season is winding down.

Soon, I will be running solely on the treadmill-

so even though it's a bit chilly outside, I like to sign up for November races.

Two weeks ago, my good friend Michelle and I ran the Hot Chocolate 15K

It was a fun race through the streets of Chicago.

I love this city and I love getting to see 9 miles of it on foot.

We ran from Grant Park out past the United Center and then back toward the lake.

It was a beautiful morning and a great crowd!

The Hot Chocolate race has another big draw: the finish line goodies!

They treat us to chocolate fondue and hot chocolate with whipped cream.

I highly recommend this race and I especially recommend going with Michelle, one of my favorite race buddies!

Happy Birthday Brittany!

2011-11-18T18:17:00.000-06:00

It's my sister-in-law's birthday today!

We love you Britt and hope your day is as wonderful as you are!

Happy Birthday Emily!

2011-11-11T07:54:00.002-06:00

Cousin Emily turns 2 today!

We hope you have a wonderful, fun-filled day!

Terrible Twos

2011-11-10T07:38:00.000-06:00

Don't let this sweet face fool you...

Nora is quite the handful right now.

She is mischievous, active, curious, and somewhat disobedient.

(and she does it all with a smile on her face too)

Nora has cut her hair three times in the past two weeks.

She has colored on numerous walls and windows.

(she has siblings who are nice enough to leave the tools of destruction out for her)

She spits her food out on the floor.

She dumps food out from the pantry.

And she frequently gets out of her bed at night, hoping to stay up longer.

She's truly giving me a run for my money.

But then she puts her face close to mine and says,

"I love you mommy"

and all is forgiven.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T21:22:00.000-05:00

We have been Halloweening all weekend.

Saturday night was the annual church party.

The girls decided to go as rock stars...

We even got Paul to dress up (sort of)

He was our band crew...

(seriously, what kind of crew member wears a pressed, blue plaid, button-down shirt under his band tee)

As usual, Matt went his own way.

He decided to be a race car driver

And Uncle Troy wanted to rile up some Bears fans

However, we were at a church party, and most people decided to turn the other cheek

instead of starting a brawl in front of the primary children!

And tonight, Afton insisted on carving pumpkins...

We wish you all a scary, silly, sweet day!

We will be filling it with more parties, parades, and trick-or-treating.

Soccer Season

2011-10-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

Matthew is our only soccer player this fall...

He's really got some skills,

and no one works harder than Matt on that field!

He probably runs 5 miles in the course of a game.

We're so proud of his dedication and his hard work

Happy Birthday Halle!

2011-10-12T15:29:00.000-05:00

Halle turns 5 Today!

She has been so excited for her birthday--can you tell?

She came downstairs in her nightgown and had found this "happy birthday" tiara left over from some birthday luncheon that was held at my house.

I love that she proudly put it on and paraded to the breakfast table.

Halle took the "birthday princess" title very seriously!

So, here are 5 wonderful things about our new 5 year old in an acrostic!

Look at my ol' English teacher skills coming back into use!

H is for Hilarious (just hang with her for 5 minutes, you'll see!)

A is for Adorable--look at that cute smile and sparkling eyes

L is for Laughing(she keeps us doing it)

L is for Loving--she gives wonderful hugs

E is for Excitement. Everyday. Each day is an adventure for Halle!

We love you sweet and spunky girl!

Happy Birthday Paul!

2011-10-03T19:43:00.000-05:00

I am a day late on this post.

Let's just say our Saturday and Sunday were not very restful.

Paul went out to St. George to run the marathon,

and the heat really did him in.

Luckily, I made him this for his birthday...

A Peanut Butter Cup Trifle

It is dangerous.

Brownie layer, peanut butter pie layer, peanut butter cup layer, chocolate mousse layer.

Repeat and top with whipped cream and more peanut butter cups.

I even put all of the necessary candles on top for him!

He almost got them all out.

Paul doesn't care if we celebrate his birthday or not,

but I love to do it!

He is a great dad and husband and he deserves to have a great day!

He's been especially busy lately, but he tries hard to make sure we are the "big rocks" of his day!

Thanks for all you do--we love you!

Showing our guests a good time!

2011-09-28T09:24:00.000-05:00

Uncle Ryan came to Chicago for a conference

a couple of weeks ago.

He's seen the big city, so we took him with us to

see the rural side of Illinois.

There was a huge corn maze and other games at this farm,

but the highlight was the pig races!

Paul and Ryan are so excited to be here!

The little pigs were cute--they ran for Oreos

and had names like Jennifer Hamiston, Christina Hogiluera and Just-in-time Bieber

The kids loved it

Up close for a better look at the "athletes"

They were pretty fast! Halle was trying to keep up.

She might have done better had she been offered an Oreo at the end too!

Happy Birthday Ruth Ann!

2011-09-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Ruth Ann's birthday was yesterday,

so I am a bit late, but this was such a busy week

hopefully she'll forgive me!

(The Walker Women--Ruth Ann is in the aqua sweater)

We hope your day is wonderful and wish you great things for the year ahead!

What I did last weekend...

2011-09-22T16:28:00.000-05:00

My good friend Suzanne told me about the Warrior Dash

3 Miles of running and going over obstacles which ended in a muddy crawl under barbed wire...

There were some really high rope walls, waterfall obstacles, and steep drops

It was a little scary,

But it was so much fun!

Mostly because of this great gal...

Why is she muddier than me, you ask?

She did a belly flop into the mud pool!

That is Suzanne in a nutshell.

Daring, Fabulous, Exciting and Fun

So glad we did this before she moves to Texas!

Happy Birthday Kelsey!

2011-09-15T08:27:00.000-05:00

We hope your day is fabulous!

Disneyland 1/2 Marathon

2011-09-06T04:02:00.001-05:00

Most of you know that my sister is an Ironman.

But there's a whole other side to her racing personality...

She LOVES to race in costume.

And I let her dress us for this race.

She informed me that everyone would be dressed up,

but there weren't so many others with costumes this elaborate.

(Thanks Mom)

This picture is for the kids--they love Phineas and Ferb!

This one is for the girls, of course

And what is a Disney race without a castle photo op?

Heather kept calling me Eeyore because of my grumpiness in wearing a costume.

She was the Tigger of the whole thing--trying to turn me into Tigger Too!

(Do you see my solidarity with Eeyore--we're holding hands, er... hand and paw, hoof?)

Running through Angels stadium was very fun

And the awesome medal made it all worth it.

Plus, we got our bonus Coast to Coast challenge medal.

Disney does medals right. They were heavy, big, and eye-catching!

The Ironman still comes out in Heather, though.

She ran the race with a stress fracture in her tibia.

Basically, she has a broken leg. And she still ran the race.

and her day was made when this funky Alice caught up to us for a picture.

Heather was sorely disappointed when no Alice in Wonderland characters were out on the course for a picture.

Luckily, Alice came along on our way to the car!

After the race, we headed to the hotel, ate and showered.

Then we headed to Disneyland to close the park down.

After running 13.1 miles we spent 13 hours one of my favorite places.

We were up for 22 hours straight and then headed home to crash!

A New School Year...

2011-08-31T13:12:00.000-05:00

The big kids have been in school for a week now,

and I'm just posting their first day.

I'm still getting back on schedule too!

While my kids may not get a hot breakfast every day,

they know they will get one on the first day of school!

We had overnight french toast and berries--it was delicious!

Paul was able to be home in the morning to send them off!

He promised not to embarrass them this year.

(Hence, the cool high-5s instead of hugs and kisses)

A successful first day for Afton!

She's in 3rd grade now at the intermediate school with Matthew!

And Matt had a good day too--he just doesn't show it!

This is his last year at the intermediate school-

Next year he will head out an hour earlier to the middle school.

It's amazing how quickly his school years have gone!

Utah Adventures

2011-08-15T15:05:00.000-05:00

We really filled up our time while in Utah!
We have so much fun exploring and hanging out with family.

We headed up to the cabin with Great Grandpa Bunting,

Grandma and Heather to ride horses and play by the river.

The kids loved riding Pal, Sandy, Buddy, and Blue.

Even Nora loved it, but her first ride wore her out.

She fell asleep on her second ride!

We hit Cowabunga Bay with Cousin Rylee

Matt and Afton liked hanging out with Aunt Courtney and Lauren (hooray for older kids!)

I liked having Nana and Kelsey to help wrangle our intrepid Nora.

We explored Wheeler Farm with Nana and cousins

We milked cows, chased chickens, went on a hay ride,

fed the geese, and played with the sleepy rabbits

Paul took some time off and we went to Park City for the Alpine Slide/Coaster

Halle declared that she had waited for this ride "her entire life!"

and it did not disappoint! It was a beautiful afternoon and we finished it off with pizza!

Uncle Troy took the afternoon off and we went to the zoo with Grandma

It was a hot day, so we cooled off with drinks and a train ride!

It's always more fun to have family along for the adventures!

(And it's easier for me to have extra adults too)

-We're all going through family adventure withdrawals right now-

Thanks for making our vacation fantastic!

Happy Birthday Cousin Jacob!

2011-08-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

(Jake is standing next to Matt)

These are the only boy cousins in a slew of girls

Matt & Jake like to stick together!

We hope you have a great day buddy!

Happy Birthday Chad!

2011-08-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

We love Uncle Chad!

He always makes life fun!

We hope your day is as awesome as you are!

They WILL be Cougars...

2011-08-04T11:12:00.001-05:00

I'm starting my kids young.

I want them go to BYU when they get older,

so I'm taking no chances now!

Not living near BYU, I found a way to get them loyal to my alma mater early...

Send them to camp!

Matt went to JimmerCamp while we were in Utah,

and while he told me he it wasn't that exciting, I know he loved it.

Every morning he would tell me to hurry up, he even helped me find the parking spots!

I didn't get a good picture of Matt at camp, but this is what happened one of the days...

And Afton went to BYU Cheer Camp.

She loved it! She wants to go to a football game this fall so she can "see" her friends, the cheerleaders!

They learned a lot of "sideline" cheers...

and a dance...

Afton has informed me that she is going to camp every year now!
Hey, if it helps her get to BYU, I'm all for it!

Great-Grandparents

2011-08-02T12:11:00.000-05:00

I don't think our kids understand how lucky they are

They have 3 sets of great grandparents!

We love when we get to see them and our kids get to know these wonderful people.

They all played a huge part in who Paul and I became

and now who are kids will become.

This is Grandma Ann and Grandpa Ed with me, my kids, and my two nephews

This is Paul's grandma La Rue

Paul and kids with Grandma & Grandpa Johannsesen

We have such amazing grandparents and are so glad to pass their traditions, examples, and memories onto our kids!

Meeting the Newest Arrivals

2011-08-01T15:06:00.001-05:00

We spent most of our July in Utah.

It was so much fun and we were very busy,

so it'll take me a few days to catch up!

We had two new nieces and a nephew
born in the last two months,

which means we had some snuggling to do!

Lucas-Chad & Jordan's little guy

and Ella-Spencer & Britt's darling girl.

And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

The girls loved holding the new babies!

Lucas enjoys getting to know the girls...

And Nora couldn't get enough of "Baby Ook"

Nora also loved holding baby Ava,
Sarah & Andrew's sweet girl who arrived in June

And we were lucky enough to be there when baby Ella made her appearance.

We went by the house a week later so the kids could love on their new cousin.

You may notice someone missing from these pictures...

Matt isn't so much into the babies--he'd rather hang out with the uncles!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Walker!

2011-07-30T09:06:00.000-05:00

We got to celebrate Grandpa's birthday on our last night in Utah!

It was a great end to a great trip!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-07-19T11:23:00.000-05:00

We like to plan our Utah trip so we can celebrate Grandpa's birthday with him!

Happy Birthday--we hope your day is fantastic!

New Niece

2011-07-19T11:21:00.000-05:00

Our new niece, Ella Bethany arrived last night!

Congratulations Spence and Britt!

Dancing Queens

2011-07-05T11:58:00.000-05:00

The girls had their end of year dance concert in June

We were worried about whether Halle would dance on stage or not,

considering her track record...

But she did amazing!

She smiled and danced and sang along with the songs!

Afton had three dance numbers, so she was especially busy

It was so fun to watch her perform and see what a beautiful dancer she is becoming!

We are now anxiously awaiting the DVD so the girls can watch themselves on stage!

Ragnar Relay

2011-06-21T16:37:00.000-05:00

Are we crazy?

Yep--a little bit!

Paul and I joined a group of friends to run a Ragnar Relay

Madison to Chicago-197 miles

For the entire route, someone on the team is running

Lots of energy on our first legs!

I'm getting ready to exchange with Paul

So awesome! This made me smile every time they drove by!

The two vans meeting up to exchange runners

And the finish line!

It was awesome to run with a group of friends,

even when the third legs got tough and we're dead tired.

Running across the finish line together was the best feeling.

And believe it or not, some of us want to do it again next year!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T19:56:00.001-05:00

I have loved watching my dad as a grandpa-

He plays with the kids, takes them to movies, hangs out with them

and enjoys just being a grandpa!

I am so glad that my kids will always have great memories of my dad

and all the fun times they have together!

It reminds me of so many memories with my grandpa (my dad's dad)

-My kids are so lucky to have two Grandpa Buntings-

Our New Nephew!

2011-06-18T16:38:00.000-05:00

Chad and Jordan had their new little guy yesterday!

Lucas William

born at 1:32 pm on June 17th

7lbs 4 oz, 21 in

Mom, Dad and big brother Garrett are all doing great!

Happy Birthday Spencer!

2011-06-15T06:30:00.002-05:00

(Picture taken by Halle!)

Happy Birthday to a great brother, uncle and all-around good guy!

We love you Spencer-hope your day is awesome!

Sweet Surprise

2011-06-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

I was in Salt Lake over the weekend for

a baby shower honoring my sister-in-law Brittany.

The day I flew in, my other sister-in-law Sarah

got a special phone call-

a birthmother wanted her and Andrew to be the parents

of her precious baby girl

It was a whirlwind two days and on Saturday,

they brought her home...

and let us all love on this adorable addition to the family...

Welcome to the family Ava Grace!

Coming to the end...

2011-06-02T06:06:00.000-05:00

We're almost to the last day of school,

which means that we headed to Matt's class one last time

for his Chicago presentation and "Pass the Torch" ceremony

Matthew did a reader's theatre about The Great Chicago Fire and Mrs. O'Leary's cow

(who incidentally did NOT cause the fire, but took the blame)

I can't believe Matt will be in 5th grade!

He passes the "torch of leadership" to the 4th grader he "mentored" this year

The 4th graders voted on awards for the 5th graders.

Matt won "Best Car Designer"

big surprise, right?!

Matthew has one last year before he heads off to the middle school!

We loved his teachers in this Multi-Age Program and will miss going to Matt's class to see all the wonderful things they do.

Special Weekend

2011-05-24T07:45:00.000-05:00

Our Sweet Afton was baptized on Saturday.

She has been anxiously waiting for her big day and it was exactly what she hoped it would be!

We often remarked how mature and attentive Afton was during the entire day.

She really seemed to be taking everything in and wanting to remember her experience.

Earlier in the week, she gave a family home evening lesson on baptism.

She was well prepared and learned all she can about this important step in her life.

She is a wonderful part of our family and we are so proud of the lovely young woman she is becoming!

We are so thankful for all our family and friends who helped her along this path and shared in her day with all of us!

(Our official photographer, Granny Kate, has many more pictures that we will post later)

Happy Birthday Sarah!

2011-05-20T02:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Sarah today!

Thanks for always including us and making us

feel a part of everything,

even though we're far away!

-Sarah makes sure we're "in the loop"-

We love you and hope your day is fabulous!

Happy Mothers' Day!

2011-05-08T19:48:00.000-05:00

We are so grateful to have such wonderful women in our life-and our kids are lucky to have three fun ladies who love them a lot!

Thanks for all you do for our family!

We love you Grandma, Granny Kate, and Nana!

A Special Golden Birthday

2011-05-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

Afton turned EIGHT today!

We celebrated with a fun friend birthday on Friday night!

We had a Pajama Glama mock slumber party

I spent most of the day setting the party scene...

The girls came and painted toe nails, ate breakfast for dinner, played games, opened presents, then had cupcakes and ice cream.

It was fun to see Afton with her friends from church and school.

Today, we started off a joint mother's day/birthday with breakfast in bed,

then after dinner we had presents and more cake!

We are so glad that Afton is our daughter-

she is sweet, helpful, sensitive, friendly, outgoing and fun!

She is so excited to be baptized in a couple of weeks

and always tries to do the right thing!

We love you Sweet Afton!

Happy Birthdays!

2011-05-06T07:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Ryan today!

I don't think he reads my blog, so I just picked out my

favorite picture of my brother-in-law!

Look at that concentration!

Have a fantastic day!

It's also Heather's birthday!

She does read my blog, so I put my favorite picture of her on here!

this picture totally shows who Heather is

She easily steps in to be a second mom to my kids,

she's always ready for a good time,

and she loves and encourages my kids!
She's also an amazing athlete, even in sandals

They think Aunt Heather is the best!

And so do I!

Happy Birthday sis!

First Dental Visit

2011-05-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

Nora's actually been going to the dentist for a while now,

just not as a patient!

The staff and the dentist love her and she willing gives back the love.

She was all hugs, kisses, and smiles.

Until they wanted her to lean back and open her mouth!

We had to hold her in place while the dentist did a quick check

and pronounced that her baby teeth look great.

She even got them cleaned and flossed!

We really love our pediatric dentist.

And apparently she loves our kids too.

On their webpage is a section for their favorite smiles-

And the only picture on there is this one:

(She looks so little!)

Happy Birthday Josh!

2011-05-03T04:23:00.000-05:00

It's Cousin Josh's golden birthday!

-He is 3 years old on the 3rd-

We hope your day is fantastic and full of fun!

One Decade Old!

2011-04-26T10:38:00.000-05:00

I can't believe this guy is 10 years old today!

Matthew has grown up to be a fun, responsible, energetic, smart young man.

He sure knows how to push his sisters' buttons, but he can also be so tender and kind

He loves cars, trains, airplanes, and anything mechanical

He is a whiz at designing, building and rebuilding Legos

Matt is awesome at math and also a great reader.

He just started reading Huckleberry Finn

(I had to explain some words and also some cultural/historical things to him!)

Matthew wanted to invite his friends to Lasertag and rock wall climbing for his birthday party.

Matt's got a great bunch of friends

and they had a great time!

He has a fun day of golf, dinner, presents, and cake tonight!

Happy birthday to our favorite boy-

We love you Matt!

Easter

2011-04-25T14:32:00.000-05:00

The kids were so fun this year at Easter.

They were so helpful and cooperative--mostly because I kept telling them that we couldn't color eggs until all the chores were done.

They were really excited to color their eggs!

(don't you love Nora's face when we say "smile")

Paul had meetings Easter morning, so I was in charge of the Baskets and Egg Hunt.

The kids let me sleep in (until 7:30 anyway)

There was a bit of competition in the egg hunt. Nora, however, soon found out there was candy in the eggs and happily waited for her siblings to bring them to her!

I just love Easter Sunday pictures.

The kids had all gotten in the car and Afton reminded me we needed a picture!

Everyone unloaded and took a great picture! Hooray!

And Matt even happily matched his sisters this year--I think the navy blue color scheme met his approval. I don't think I will be able to get away with this much longer, but I'm enjoying it while I can!

We enjoyed a nice Sunday dinner and egg hunt with friends,

then sent our sugar-laden children off to bed.

It was a lovely day and I am so grateful for our friends and family

and most of all for the reason behind our celebrations--our Savior, from whom we receive the greatest blessings.

Happy Birthday Jordan!

2011-04-21T07:06:00.001-05:00

Jordan enters a new decade today!

We hope her day is as wonderful as she it--leave a message to tell her happy birthday too!

Happy Birthday Rylee!

2011-04-20T07:02:00.000-05:00

Cousin Rylee turns 5 Today!

Leave a comment to send the birthday girl your happy wishes!

Nora's 2 Year Pictures

2011-04-18T13:39:00.000-05:00

Here she is...

She did a great job at the photo studio--

Sweet Nora lived up to her good reputation and gave us a bunch of good shots.

I just love how they showcase

the many aspects of her personality!

Fun, spunky, thoughtful, curious, beautiful and happy.

(adoring aunts, uncles, and grandparents--your hard copies are in the mail)

Perspective

2011-04-15T14:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was very busy.

I had a volunteer job that I had to fill, plus soccer practice for Matt.

Obviously, I cannot be in 3 places at the same time...

So I called up a babysitter for the girls and enlisted Paul's help for soccer.

I felt like everything was under control.

Until Paul called and said he was stuck on the tollway and there was no way he was going to get home in time to take Matt to soccer.

I now was extremely frustrated and very mad.

I got to the volunteer project and told them I would be late, then turned around to get Matt.

After getting Matt, we headed up to practice.

Ten minutes into our drive, I witnessed a horrible car accident.

A mini-van, going too fast, hit a curb and flew into a ditch, crashing into a tree.

I quickly pulled over and called 9-1-1

(the first time I have ever called)

I was shaking and scared and I wasn't even in the accident.

While we were waiting for the police, all my anger and frustration disappeared.

My family was safe and I realized that arriving later is always better than never arriving.

A kind, concerned man from a nearby business put his sweatshirt on me and made sure I was okay.

(I must have looked like I needed help)

After waiting for paramedics and giving my statement to the police,

I went on my way, very late, but I didn't care.

Too often, it takes something tragic to realize what is important

It only took a matter of moments for me yesterday

and I hope that I can keep that in mind the next time my emotions get the better of me.

Spring Break

2011-04-06T10:31:00.000-05:00

We hadn't planned to go anywhere for spring break because we had just gone to Florida.

Enter: Matthew's Biography Project on Henry Ford

When we were doing research online, we found out that there is a Henry Ford Museum just outside of Detroit, MI which isn't too much of a drive from here.

Matthew asked if we could go there and who am I to turn down a kid's request to visit a museum?

(We laugh that we are probably the only people
who go to Detroit for Spring Break)

(our kids love swimming at the hotel pools)

The museum was very awesome.

I thought we'd spend 1 or 2 hours there,
but we ended up there for about 5

And that was without visiting Greenfield Village which was closed.

We also took a tour of the Ford Rouge Factory
where they manufacture F-150 Trucks.

Sadly, they weren't working that day because they were out of parts-possibly because of Japan, which we learned manufactures the red and black dyes for cars too.

but it was still cool to see the assembly lines and stages of truck building.

Matthew was in heaven!

We also called Paul's cousin Corey and his wife Ashley as we were driving to Michigan. I am so glad we got in touch with them--

They live a couple hours away and spur of the moment decided to join us!

It was so fun to see them and the kids had a lot of fun together.

Elle and Nora are a month apart and really liked each other!

Ashley and Corey graciously invited us to stay at their beautiful home

where the kids played and had a great time!

We went out to dinner on our way out of Michigan

I love how Max sat between Afton and Matthew.

Matt was glad to have another boy and Max thought having a big brother would be great!

It was a fun excursion for our family and well worth the driving!

Happy Birthday Andrew!

2011-03-31T07:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to a great brother-in-law and dad!

We hope you have a fantastic day-

Leave Andrew a birthday wish as well!

Happy Birthday Courtney!

2011-03-31T07:55:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Courtney today!

Leave her a happy message for her to celebrate!

Hope your day is great!

Garrett is Two!

2011-03-30T09:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Cousin Garrett!

He and Nora were fun little buddies at Disney World

Garrett is getting so big and he's going to be a big brother in June too!

Hope you have a fabulous day!

Send this cute 2 year old a happy birthday from you!

Girls' Weekend

2011-03-29T08:33:00.000-05:00

Brittany came to visit me in Chicago since the boys would be skiing in Utah

We had a lot of fun shopping for maternity clothes

and picking out things for her baby girl coming in July!

We stayed up late and talked

We even bought the same shoes

And finally, I had someone to go see Jane Eyre with me!
It's not playing in many theaters, but there was one relatively close that we decided to go to (for a 4:30 show) We were the youngest movie-goers by about 40 years! It was really funny, but we are so glad we went to see this movie!
It was fantastic--the scenery was gorgeous and the actors were outstanding! Brit and I both loved it and highly recommend it to any fellow Bronte fans out there

(Mr. Rochester is quite handsome--he looked familiar and when I looked him up, imdb said that he played Wickham in the most recent Pride and Prejudice)

Thanks Brittany for coming out to keep me entertained and doing the fun stuff that I rarely treat myself too!

DisneyWorld 2011 (aka the most pictures I've ever put in one post!)

2011-03-23T17:09:00.000-05:00

We had such a fun trip!

The kids are at such fun stages and

are the perfect ages for Disney

Matthew and Afton can go all day and then all night

Halle loves the magic and is still a little worried about meeting characters

Nora loved hanging out in her stroller and snacking

We left Chicago early in the morning,

but the kids were rarin' to go as soon as we checked into the hotel...

Aunt Heather joined us early the next morning, so we headed to the Animal Kingdom.

We rode Everest,

the not-so-smart of us rode the tube ride and Halle got drenched,

saw the shows and visited with lots of characters.

Grandma & Grandpa, Chad, Jordan and Garrett joined us on Friday as we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for a fun princess lunch and lots more rides!

We would also make another trip back here after the kids' races for the parades and fireworks!

The kids all participated in the Disney Family Races

Nora fell asleep at the starting line, but the other kids were excited for their first races!

They loved their t-shirts, medals, treats and pictures

And the initial reason for our big family get-together?

Heather and I were running in the Princess Half-Marathon!

It was a fun race from start to finish

with lots of stops for pictures and characters

After all the partying and a half-marathon,

we still weren't tired

so Matthew, Afton, Heather, Grandma and I headed to Universal to check out the World of Harry Potter.

It is a fun park, but the rides were more intense and the kids were a bit nervous.

Heather and I rode them all and Grandma and the kids strolled around a lot!

By this time, I had run out of battery with my camera, so all pictures are courtesy of Heather!

Our final day we headed to Hollywood Studios and one last trip to the Magic Kingdom

We stayed out very late to get in as much as we could!

Even Paul wasn't totally Disney-ed out by this time.

We loved being with our family and with the kids

and loved experiencing everything through their eyes!

Boy Stuff

2011-03-18T17:07:00.000-05:00

The girly in our house tends to take over sometimes.

So we really enjoy it when Matt's activities get the spotlight!

Pinewood Derby took place last weekend,

and while the car didn't win,

Matt had a great time with his friends and building his car with his dad

Matt has also been playing little league basketball

His team has been doing well and he's learning a lot about how to play the game

I just read a book called Boys Should Be Boys:Seven Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons by Meg Meeker. I thought often as I read about the great blessing of having Matt in our family. Although he teases and bugs the girls, he also loves them and helps out. He wants to do well in all of his activities and tries hard in everything he decides to do. He makes friends easily and has so many great talents.

I am privileged to have Matthew for my son, and am grateful for all that he does for me.

It is so fun to watch him grow up and develop his personality and talents.

The Celebration!

2011-03-16T13:43:00.000-05:00

Luckily, Nora is only two and
doesn't care how big the party is (or isn't)

There was a lot going on on Nora's birthday,

so her party involved a family dinner at Red Robin

Taking her to Build-A-Bear

where she picked out this bright bear and the kids helped

picked out jammies and slippers for "Bear"

And then home for Maggie Moo cupcakes and presents

She had a great day with lots of fun and attention-

what more could a 2 year old want?!

Two

2011-03-12T07:30:00.000-06:00

It doesn't seem all that long ago that we were counting her age in days and weeks instead of months and years

And how surprised we were when one year creeped up on us!

But now she's two!

Nora is such a sweet and spunky,

curious and cute

fun and fearless girl!

She has added so much to our family

Happy Birthday Nora!

Nora's first haircut!

2011-03-10T08:02:00.000-06:00

Nora's hair has been in her eyes for a while now.

Even though I tried to pull it back with a bow or barrett

she would manage to work it out and her hair would again be in her face.

After a few hints from Paul, it was time for her first haircut!

She wasn't afraid at all-

happily sat in the taxi and watched Strawberry Shortcake

-She is laughing here-

Either she was a bit ticklish or she was just so excited to see again!

Our baby girl is growing up--she's got a big celebration this weekend.

We're Back!

2011-03-03T10:00:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful trip to Disney World with the kids,

Aunt Heather, Uncle Chad, Aunt Jordan, Garrett,

Grandma and Grandpa Bunting!

We are still decompressing and diving back into reality,

but will post more of our fun adventures and our awesome races when we recover!

Happy Birthday Grandma/Mom!

2011-02-23T13:27:00.000-06:00

We are so excited that we get to be with Grandma for her birthday weekend!

She is a fun grandma, a great mom, and always up for an adventure

We love you!

Happy Birthday Granny Kate!

2011-02-22T07:40:00.000-06:00

Granny Kate is a such a fun friend, mother-in-law, and granny!

-We wish you all the best on her birthday-

Leave a comment for her too, and let her know you love her!

My Valentines

2011-02-18T20:34:00.000-06:00

We have started a new Valentine's Tradition:

Fondue!

The kids love to dip their goodies into the melted chocolate

It's fun and special for the kids as well as easy Mom!

Lucky 13!

2011-02-14T07:13:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's been 13 years since our first date

Happy Valentine's Day to my best friend

Happy Birthday Pat!

2011-02-08T13:18:00.000-06:00

Pat's the first family birthday of the year,

so he's the trial run for this year's shout-out!

If you read my blog, send your birthday wish to Pat by commenting!

You can share a memory, a good wish, or just say have a great day!

(and I expect those of you who are also related to Pat will contribute,

so that when it is your turn for nice notes, you get the same in return)

What I've been doing in January...

2011-01-31T15:57:00.000-06:00

I have realized that having four children makes it very hard to keep up with housework.

I searched for the perfect job chart so that I could get the kids to help me out.

This is what I found on etsy...

It has worked marvelously!

The kids come in after school and look to see which jobs are hanging on their tags.

You notice Nora has no responsibilities, even though she is a huge mess-maker right now!

I planned for the future!

I also got to help plan a baby shower for a dear friend.

She first moved out with us to Chicago 9 years ago.

She spent a brief time in Salt Lake and then returned to work for Paul two years ago when she got married. She and her husband are expecting a little boy in March.

I dusted off my sewing machine and made this...

I love how it turned out and it wasn't too time consuming for me.

While Nora was napping and Halle watched a movie,

I spent a week of afternoons cutting, piecing, sewing, and binding.

I have a few more projects to complete while we're housebound with snow and cold!

Ice-Skating

2011-01-25T09:35:00.000-06:00

The girls decided they wanted to have ice-skating lessons.

(Although they have never skated in their life)

So we signed them up for beginner lessons.

They are having a great time,

although Afton says it's really hard!

Afton's class is learning to balance, move up and down, and go backwards.

Halle's first lesson involved how to get up off the ice and how to fall.

Now they are moving on to picking things up off the ice and moving their feet apart and back together in order to move forward. She loves it and doesn't even mind the falling part!

Matthew's Band Concert

2011-01-18T14:10:00.001-06:00

I begged him not to do it!

I didn't want to add one more thing on our plate.

I tried to persuade him to try something else in the summer.

He withstood my arguments.

And now, in our house, we have....

a Band Geek!

(although he's a pretty handsome band geek!)

Matthew chose to play the saxophone in the 4th grade band

and they had their first concert last week.

I saw him sitting there with the other 174 kids,

and I started to tear up, thinking how grown up and responsible he's getting.

He was anxious for us all to be there and see him play.

Just when I was getting a little too emotional for a band concert,

they started to play and the tears turned to laughter!

Imagine 175 kids playing hot cross buns on

10 different instruments,

all at the same time.

It was hilarious!

It wasn't a bunch of experts, but those kids played their hearts out!

Can't wait for the spring concert to see how much better they get!

Christmas Company

2011-01-07T21:22:00.000-06:00

"Would it be so bad to ask the grandparents to stay at a hotel?"

(Christmas Vacation)

Just kidding!

We love when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit.

Thanks for coming to play, watch the kids, do some house projects,

hang out, tend to the sick, and keep the post-holiday blues away!

We love you!

Quiet Christmas

2011-01-07T21:16:00.000-06:00

We had a very peaceful Christmas this year.

Quite a change from our previous years,

when we've been around lots of family.

But I still wanted a big Christmas Eve dinner,

so I made the turkey, rolls, potatoes, etc.

and then we headed to the retirement home to participate

in a nativity and a sing-a-long

The girls did a great job as angels guarding the baby Jesus

and Matthew was a solemn, respectful shepherd

After some carols, we headed home.

Got into our traditional Christmas Eve new pajamas,

read some stories and got everything ready for Santa

-Matthew wrote a letter while the girls put out cookies and carrots-

Christmas Morning!

We make the kids wait on the stairs

while Dad makes sure that Santa has come

and the scene is ready for kids!

Even Nora knew something good was going on!

Everyone was happy and we had a restful day
Matt spent his day building Legos
The girls played American Girl and kitchen with Nora
I got to curl up on the couch and read a book
and Paul got to clean and vacuum.
Yep--everyone was happy!

Big 12

2010-12-28T12:14:00.002-06:00

Yep, we've made it to 12 years!

Happy anniversary to my best friend

Feeling the Christmas Spirit

2010-12-24T08:27:00.000-06:00

I was up early this morning-

defrosting the turkey, making layered jell-o,

wrapping the final presents

all the preparations to make this a great holiday for the kids.

There are a couple things left to do today:

make a shepherd and two angel costumes

for the kids to participate in a nativity at a retirement home tonight

and help secretly drop off some Christmas for another family

I was sad earlier this month to think that I was missing out

on all our family get togethers this year-

feeling lonely and sad for myself

and then some opportunities came along for us to help those who have very little

it has changed my perspective this year.

If we truly want the spirit of Christmas in our homes,

we need to seek the spirit of Christ.

When we lose ourselves, we find joy, love, and peace,

which are the greatest of Christ's gifts to us.

I remember when I was little,

my parents helped to provide Christmas for

patients at the Utah state mental hospital.

These people were lost and forgotten and had no loved ones to remember them at Christmas.

We never met these patients, but as I think back now on shopping and wrapping presents for them, weren't they the very people Jesus himself would seek out and bless.

I hope that my children will remember not only the fun of Christmas,

but also the times when we were able to serve others and bring the Christmas spirit to them.

So although I am just as excited as my kids for tomorrow morning,

I hope today we will remember why we are really celebrating.

Happy Birthday Jeffrey!

2010-12-22T18:05:00.000-06:00

Cousin Jeff is 3 Today!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

There's Jeffrey hanging with the ladies!

He is one easy-going guy-

he let Afton mother him this summer,

let his aunt Missy (almost a stranger) put him down for naps,

and played happily with the kids even though he was

getting swarmed by mosquitos!

He's one happy boy!

We hope his day is great!

Words of Wisdom from Halle...

2010-12-21T22:36:00.000-06:00

The girls and I were delivering Christmas gifts tonight,

and Halle started wondering how old she would be when Nora is 4

(since Halle's 4 now, I guess)

I told her she would be 6.

Halle replied that Nora would have to keep learning at age 4.

Halle then asked how old Afton would be,

hoping that they would all be playing barbies together.

I said when Nora is 4 and you are 6, Afton will be 10.

"10!" Halle exclaimed

"10 is like you're a woman!"

Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-21T12:29:00.000-06:00

This is the first year I have attempted homemade gingerbread houses

My friend was making them while I visited

and she made it look so easy

that I figured I could do it too...

I have to say they take some practice,

and I used hot glue to hold them together.

Next year will be better, but the kids had fun doing them anyway.

It was fun to see the dads get right in there with the frosting!

The finished products!

Christian and Nora were only interested in eating the candy!

Happy Birthday Grace!

2010-12-17T07:16:00.000-06:00

Cousin Grace is 5 today!

(Grace is in the middle)

Grace is a fun playmate at our house,

because you can never have too many girls, right?!

She gets along so well with Halle and they have a blast together!

We hope your day is fantastic!

What we're doing...

2010-12-10T13:31:00.000-06:00

We've all been busy getting ready for the holidays...

The kids are dressed in matching outfits for church!

(you can see how excited Matthew is about matching his sisters!)

Afton did an awesome job in her Christmas dance recital

She had a lyrical number and a ballet number and

was so excited about her beautiful costumes!

Halle was not so excited about the performance

and refused to dance (or even smile afterward).

She does look cute in her nightgown that Nana made.

(Her class did a number where they all dressed in nightgowns)

And I ran my last half-marathon of the year.

The race was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it was cold

But I had to do something to offset all the calories

I will be eating for the holiday season!

Paul even dragged all the kids out to watch me finish!

Now we're off to the holiday races-

planning our month with parties, get-togethers, some service activities

and getting ready for Grandma and Grandpa to come visit!

Hungry, Hungry Nora

2010-12-10T13:23:00.000-06:00

Nora is an eating machine right now.

She must be going through a growth spurt,

because she is always rummaging in the pantry...

And she won't leave the breakfast table without taking some with her...

And she prefers to have food in her mouth at all times...

But she's so cute when her mouth, and fists, are full!

Happy Birthday Nana!

2010-12-08T07:19:00.000-06:00

The girls just love to be with Nana!

One of my favorite memories of Gail

is when she came out to help with Nora.

We realized that having our 4th baby might

prove to be a little difficult

and we recruited Gail to come help out for a week

It was so nice to turn everything over to her very capable hands.

I didn't need to worry about the house, dinner, or the kids

All I had to do was snuggle the babe and Gail took care of the rest.

It means the world to me that she would pause her life

to come help me!

We love you Nana and hope your day is fabulous!

Happy Birthday Troy!

2010-11-27T19:57:00.000-06:00

Troy is a fun uncle and great brother!

He took Matt for a jeep ride and Slurpee this summer.

He took me out for frogurt.

He played "cheerleader" with Halle

Every year he asks for money for his birthday...

so he can buy Christmas presents for everyone.

We're so glad to have him around and hope he'll be moving

to the midwest with a new job soon!

Happy Birthday LaTroya!

Happy Birthday Brittany!

2010-11-18T14:33:00.000-06:00

Despite never living near each other,

my sister-in-law and I have become great friends.

I think because our husbands (who are brothers) are so similar,

we must like the same things!

She also loves my kids, which gives her big points in my book!

We love you Brittany and hope your day is wonderful!

Happy Birthday Emily!

2010-11-11T14:01:00.000-06:00

Cousin Emily is ONE Today!

Hooray!

(Emily and Nora)

We were lucky enough to see Emily a lot her first year!

Halle enjoyed having another baby around

and even named her baby doll "Baby Emily"

Happy Birthday to our youngest cousin!

Halle's Dance Debut!

2010-11-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

Halle's dance class is getting ready

for their Christmas program.

I was floored that Halle willingly danced in front of the parents

She was very distracted and kept looking at me

but there was no crying, shyness, or refusing to dance today!

Needless to say, this is the first time Halle has been captured

actually dancing in her class!

She was so proud of herself

And so was I!

Halloween Report

2010-11-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

While there has been a lot going on this month,

our Halloween festivities were rather low key

Halle's preschool sang their fall songs and showed off costumes

Then, they paraded out in the wind.

Halle did a great job keeping her hat on!

On Saturday, we headed to the church "Round-Up" with our cowgirls...

one witchy mom....

and our toaster!

Matt has great costume ideas and Grandma Bunting can put together

anything that he dreams up!

Last night, we had yummy chowder and cornbread on our spooky dishes

then we watched one of my childhood favorite movies "Labyrinth"

while passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters!

Buckle Up...

2010-10-29T11:57:00.000-05:00

that's what the e-mail from Paul said.

And he means it too.

We are hosting his office Christmas party again this year.

And I'm a little stuck.

Last year we did the ham, rolls, sides, cheesecake traditional sit-down meal.

It was hard to fit 32 people around tables in our house.

And this year it's looking like it will be about 40 people.

So, I'm wanting to do something a little more portable.

Some kind of easy buffet that people can either walk with or sit and eat without a table.

And I'm going to need some help

Ideas, recipes, suggestions on a yummy, easy buffet spread?!

Something on the creative side?

(And just so you know, I like it when people leave thinking I'm awesome!)

"Chandler"

2010-10-18T13:10:00.000-05:00

Halle's preschool takes pictures in the fall and spring.

When the teacher handed them back today, I realized

Halle has something in common with Matthew...

they can't take a good picture without a lot of help from me.

We call it the "Chandler" around here.

(if you're a fan of "FRIENDS" you understand the reference)

Matt and Halle are experts at the Chandler,

and even our poser Afton throws it in now and then.

I'm just thinking that if the photographer had wanted us

to actually buy these pictures,

he might have tried for a little bit more, right?!

(Although, I am tempted because it made me laugh so hard today)

Halle's Birthday

2010-10-18T13:02:00.000-05:00

We went low-key this year.

It has been a busy fall with a busy mom & dad.

Luckily, Halle doesn't need a big party.

After all, she's only four and she's still excited about the little things.

That's why we love her so much.

I decorated the house while she was at preschool-

when she came home there were squeals of delight

as she saw the balloons, and streamers, and fairies.

She loved the Tinkerbell cake too!

Halle chose to go to Red Robin for dinner,

then home for cake & presents

We are so happy she is in our family.

These past four years have flown past and we're excited

to see what will be in Halle's future.

A family friend remarked that he was looking forward to

watching Halle as a teenager.

He said that she'll be "DYNAMITE"

I have to agree!

Happy Birthday Halle!

2010-10-12T11:10:00.000-05:00

Today Halle turns 4!

She is such a fun, happy, charming girl

and we so enjoy watching her grow up

Her smile lights up the room

and her cheerful personality warms our hearts!

We love you Halle!

Fall is Here!

2010-10-07T19:36:00.000-05:00

The kids are anxiously waiting for more leaves to fall

so they can rake up huge piles to play in.

For now, this little pile will have to do,

but they sure enjoyed what little bit they could get!

St. George Marathon

2010-10-05T13:09:00.000-05:00

The start was early, but at least Heather and Chad were there too!

Somewhere in the middle of the race...

The guy behind me holding the balloons is the 4-hour pace leader.

I was ahead of him most of the race.

Until miles 22-24 kicked my butt.

It was getting hot and I was getting very tired.

A very nice girl, whom I had never met, but was running too,

patted my back as I was slowing down around mile 24

She said, "You can do it!"

Later on, I caught up to her and told her thanks!

She said, "I'll run with you for a while"

My new friend Merilee is what marathons are all about-

We are all in the thick of it, cheering each other on,

wanting success for each runner out there.

And in the end, I made it!

4:03

That is 30 minutes better than my last time,

5 years and 2 babies later, I beat my own time!

It was an amazing feeling--

And to top it off, they also gave me a popsicle and a Coke!

But I couldn't have done it by myself...

Thanks Heather and Chad for the running advice and pep talks

Thanks to all the fans and volunteers who came out to the race and cheered along the way

Thanks Mom, Jordan, Steve and Kathryn for the finish line support.

Thanks Paul, kids, family and friends for long-distance cheers!

Happy Belated Birthday...

2010-10-04T17:00:00.000-05:00

I was a bit occupied on Saturday,

and didn't get a blog post done.

While he doesn't mind, I certainly do.

Because he's the most important person to me.

Happy Birthday to my best friend and biggest fan!

How many other husbands would be excited (and proud)

that his wife beat his marathon time?!

Or would spend his birthday weekend watching the kids

so his wife could go run the marathon?

And would have a great time with the kids?

I am blessed to have him in my life

and so grateful for all he adds to my life.

An unusual spot for a nap...

2010-09-27T19:18:00.000-05:00

It had been an eventful week for Halle:

First, visitors (which are fun, but Halle missed her naps)

and second, we had window washers over.

She wanted to take a nap, but there wasn't a "safe" spot in the house

where they wouldn't see her.

I couldn't find her either.

I called her name, searched all the rooms,

and finally thought I would check here:

Can you tell where she is?

Yep--it's her perfect, quiet, undisturbed spot.

Just right for an afternoon nap!

We Love Visitors!

2010-09-24T11:01:00.001-05:00

Kelsey and Rylee came to visit last week...

We got to celebrate Kelsey's Birthday!

And we took the little girls to American Girl Place.

We also went to the Aquarium, did some shopping,
some eating, and some playing

(Kelsey documented the visit much better than I did!)

We loved having them and showing them our fun city-

Afton loved being the big sister.

Halle showed Rylee what it's like to have siblings.

Matthew just tried to ignore all the girls.

And Nora wanted Kelsey to adopt her.

I enjoyed having another adult around
(as well as a good excuse to play!)

Thanks for coming!

Happy Birthday Ruth Ann!

2010-09-24T10:34:00.000-05:00

We hope your day is wonderful!

Ruth Ann is a very sweet person;

it's hard to narrow down our good memories to one!

We got to go visit Ryan & Ruth Ann in New York

and Ruth Ann was so kind to us.

She put everything on hold to show us a good time,

seeing the sights they already seen so that we could see them.

We hope to go visit them soon in Seattle!

Happy Birthday Kelsey!

2010-09-15T03:06:00.006-05:00

Yay! Kelsey got here last night so we get to celebrate with her!

Christmas of 2005, the kids and I had gone to Utah ahead of Paul

One morning I woke up with a huge pain in my lower back and side

it continued to get worse through the morning,

so my mom took me to the insta-care

where the doctor diagnosed kidney stones.

Paul told his family that I was going to be laying low for a while.

Kelsey popped over and took Matt and Afton for the entire day.

What a huge relief for me to know they were well-taken care of

and that they would have an awesome day with their auntie!

It's been 3 years since Kelsey visited,

so we're going to party hard!

We hope your day is fantastic!

18 Months Already?!

2010-09-13T15:46:00.000-05:00

Nora is growing up way too quickly!

and although she's generally content with her lot in life

sometimes she gets going too fast.

And then she looks like she lost a fight with a chicken

(she actually fell sideways into the fireplace

hence the cuts and scrapes)

She is still a joy.

Nora loves babies

She is fascinated by the babies at church.

And speaking of church,

she is now full-time in the nursery!

She loves it and it makes it so nice for me.

Nora is also talking up a storm:

Dadda, Momma, All Done, Baby, Puppy

Nap, More, No and lots of pointing and gesturing.

And she has finally realized that walking is way better than crawling.

Although it is so fun to see her grow up,

I kind of wish she would stay little.

Halle's Big Week

2010-09-10T08:22:00.000-05:00

Halle had a very exciting week...

She started preschool!

While Halle is definitely our spitfire,

she gets a little nervous about new situations.

When it came time for me to leave,

she wasn't sure she wanted to stay

Until she found out how much fun she would have!

She has the same teacher that Afton had!

They got to paint, sculpt play-dough, make a noodle picture.

Halle realized quickly that school is way more fun

than hanging out with mom!

Halle also started her ballet and tap classes.

She is very excited, although it was scary too!

She has been very brave this week.

After a long break, hopefully next week will be easier on both of us!

Pack Meeting

2010-08-31T16:53:00.000-05:00

Matthew loves being in Cub Scouts

(I think partly because there are no girls!)

He has worked really hard since turning 9 in April--

at Pack meeting he earned his Bear,

a Gold Arrow Point, and a Silver Arrow Point

for those of you not in Cub Scouts

this could take some kids a whole year to do!

He's being all serious here.

Well, as serious as you can be in swim shorts, accepting your awards!

We are so proud of Matthew and his hard work!

(also thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Bunting for helping out!)